Ex  ffitbriH 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  book 

Because  it  has  been  said 
" '  Ever'  thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  book.'' 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gut  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


Copyright,  19 17.  by  Broadway  Park  Place  Co. 
Copyright,  1021,  by  Broadway  Park  Place  Co. 
All  Rights  Reserved 


THIS  BOOK  WAS  DESIGNED 

AND  MADE  BY  THE 
TIIOMSEN-EI.LIS  COMPANY 
BALTIMORE  AND  NEW  YORK 


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FOREWORD 


S.  PARKES  CADMAN,  D.D.,  S.T.D.,  L.H.D. 


HE  man  who  proposes  and  the  architect  who  designs 
a  truly  great  building  confer  a  lasting  favor  on  the 
race  at  large.  Our  indebtedness  to  those  who  con- 
structed the  Parthenon,  the  Coliseum  at  Rome,  St. 
Peter's  Cathedral  in  that  city,  St.  Paul's  in  London, 
St.  Mark's  in  Venice  and  the  pure  Gothic  of  St.  Chapelle  and  Notre 
Dame  in  Paris  is  utterly  beyond  ordinary  methods  of  computa- 
tion. These  monuments  of  rare  beauty,  devotion  and  civic  pride 
far  outlast  other  achievements  of  their  respective  periods.  Their 
true  value  is  not  in  stone  nor  in  gold  but  in  the  spiritual  aspira- 
tions which  they  embodied  and  expressed.  Brute  material  has 
been  robbed  of  its  density  and  flung  into  the  sky  to  challenge  its 
loveliness. 

Just  as  religion  monopolized  art  and  architecture  during  the 
Medieval  epoch,  so  commerce  has  engrossed  the  United  States 
since  1865.  The  close  of  the  Civil  War  released  the  pent-up  powers 
of  a  young  nation,  occupying  a  virgin  soil,  with  the  consequences 
we  now  witness.  Multitudes  flocked  to  our  shores,  trade  increased 
by  leaps  and  bounds,  railways  linked  East  and  West  in  a  conti- 
nental expanse,  cities  throve  apace.  Out  of  the  struggles  of  this 
process,  not  without  its  pulsive  and  sordid  features,  have  been 
developed  gratifying  benefits.  The  prairies  of  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Iowa  and  the  Dakotas  have  become  the  granaries  of  the  earth. 
The  mineral  treasures  of  Pennsylvania,  Georgia  and  the  States 
located  among  the  foothills  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  have  been 
mined  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  nations.  These  and  many 
other  enrichments  of  human  life  and  intercourse  received  their 
visible  tokens  in  the  steady  advancement  of  general  prosperity 
and  welfare.  Their  metropolitan  and  financial  centers  were  found 
in  New  York.  Here,  on  the  Island  of  Manhattan,  and  at  its  south- 
erly extremity,  stands  a  succession  of  buildings  without  precedent 
or  peer.  The  vision  of  their  grandiose  effect  from  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge  at  dusk,  when  the  gathering  darkness  softens  their  bold 
outlines,  and  every  one  of  the  numberless  windows  coruscates 
with  radiance,  is  beyond  the  brush  of  Turner  to  paint  or  the 
eloquence  of  Ruskin  to  describe.  It  outvies  imagination  in  its 
most  fertile  moments.  Of  these  buildings  the  Woolworth  is  Queen, 


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acknowledged  as  premier  by  all  lovers  of  the  city  and  the  com- 
monwealth, by  critics  from  near  and  far,  by  those  who  aspire 
toward  perfection,  and  by  those  who  use  visible  things  to  attain 
it.  When  seen  at  nightfall  bathed  in  electric  light  as  with  a  gar- 
ment, or  in  the  lucid  air  of  a  summer  morning,  piercing  space  like 
a  battlement  of  the  paradise  of  God  which  St.  John  beheld,  it 
inspires  feelings  too  deep  even  for  tears.  The  writer  looked  upon 
it  and  at  once  cried  out,  "The  Cathedral  of  Commerce" — the 
chosen  habitation  of  that  spirit  in  man  which,  through  means  of 
change  and  barter,  binds  alien  people  into  unity  and  peace,  and 
reduces  the  hazards  of  war  and  bloodshed.  Such  is  its  testimony 
due  to  Frank  W.  Wool  worth,  whose  magnitude  of  mind  originated 
the  scheme,  and  to  Cass  Gilbert,  whose  genius  executed  it  to  the 
last  detail.  To  these  men,  America  pays  a  lasting  tribute,  and  their 
accomplishment  will  remain  at  the  heart  of  the  world  of  trade,  a 
lofty  example  of  the  best  possibilities  in  human  nature,  even  when 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits. 


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THE  CATHEDRAL  OF 
COMMERCE 

EDWIN  A.  COCHRAN 


N  the  night  of  April 
24,  1913,  President 
Wilson  pressed  a  tiny 
button  in  the  White 
House  and  80,000  brilliant  lights 
instantly  flashed  throughout  the 
Woohvorth  Building.  The  event 
marked  the  completion,  the  dedi- 
cation and  the  formal  opening  of 
that  regal  edifice,  the  tallest  and 
most  beautiful  building  in  all  the 
world  erected  to  commerce,  so 
judged  by  the  officials  of  the 
Panama-Pacific  Exposition  when 
they  placed  their  seal  of  approval 
upon  it  and  awarded  it  a  gold 
medal.  It  was  a  memorable  night. 
A  profusion  of  light  filled  the 
twenty-seventh  floor,  which  had 
been  arranged  for  a  superb  ban- 
quet. And  assembled  there  was 
a  great  host  of  statesmen,  cap- 
tains of  industry,  merchants, 
journalists,  scholars,  poets — all 
representative  Americans,  proud 
to  break  bread  with,  and  honor 
the  man  who  had  realized  his 
dream,  and  the  gallant  aides  who 
tirelessly  had  labored  with  him 
to  accomplish  the  stupendous 
task,  the  upbuilding  of  a  monu- 
ment to  small  things. 

Yes,  as  a  commercial  institu- 
tion the  Woolworth  Building  is 
preeminent.  Within  its  walls  are 


housed  great  banking  institu- 
tions, the  executive  and  clerical 
staffs  of  giant  industries,  the  New 
York  representatives  of  Ameri- 
ca's big  business  enterprises  and 
a  great  many  leaders  in  the  pro- 
fessions. Its  tenants,  with  their 
employees,  number  upwards  of 
14,000  people — the  population  of 
a  city — and  only  tenants  of  the 
highest  standard  are  accepted. 
The  Building  could  have  been 
filled  twice  over  had  not  Mr. 
W  oolworth  been  so  strict  about 
the  responsibility  and  personal 
integrity  of  every  lessee.  Alto- 
gether, these  tenants  rank  among 
our  country's  most  prosperous, 
progressive  and  most  reputable 
business  and  professional  men. 

Doctor  Cadman,  the  noted  di- 
vine, has  called  this  Building 
"The  Cathedral  of  Commerce." 
This  term  fittingly  describes  it. 
It  stands  in  magnificent  splen- 
dor, a  masterpieceof  art  and  archi- 
tecture, a  Glorious  Whole,  quite 
beyond  the  control  of  human  im- 
agination. The  true  Gothic  lines 
and  tracery  of  the  exterior  are 
extremely  impressive,  and  the 
proportions  have  been  executed 
with  such  studious  care  and  fidel- 
ity to  detail  that  its  enormous 
height  is  not  realized  from  the 


LOWER   MANHATTAN   BY  NIGHT 

FROM  THE  OBSERVATION  GALLERY  CF  THE  WOOL  WORTH  BUILDING 


street;  yet  it  is  by  far  the  tallest 
building  in  the  world,  rising  792 
feet  above  the  sidewalk,  its  sum- 
mit piercing  the  heavens.  The 
recessive  Tower,  gradually  dimin- 
ishing from  base  to  pinnacle  and 
appearing  always  in  new  lights 
and  colors,  forms  a  fascinating 
picture  from  every  viewpoint,  as 
it  stands  silhouetted  against  the 
sky. 

Its  location,  too,  is  of  supreme 
importance.  It  is  in  the  very  heart 
of  things — the  civic  center  of  the 
world's  great  metropolis,  in  the 
midst  of  all  transportation  lines. 
It  faces  upon  three  streets  and 
has  nine  entrances,  including  two 
direct  communications  with  the 
subway  transportation  system. 


It  is  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
City  Hall,  the  Municipal  Build- 
ing, Brooklyn  Bridge,  the  Post 
Office  and  all  Courts,  also  close 
by  the  great  financial  and  bank- 
ing center.  No  building  could 
command  a  better  location  or 
one  more  advantageous  to  its 
tenants. 

From  the  Observation  ( iallery , 
fifty-eight  stories  above  the 
street,  the  view  is  marvelous,  and 
the  thrilling  sensation  which 
comes  over  the  sightseer  is  never 
to  be  forgotten.  It  is  indeed  the 
most  remarkable  if  not  the  most 
wondrous  view  in  all  the  world. 
The  scenic  and  color  effects,  with 
the  sun  shining  on  the  multi-col- 
ored buildings  around  it,  but  far 


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THREE  TOWERS  OF  LOWER  MANHATTAN-  AT  X1GHT 


below,  and  on  the  water  and  land 
for  twenty-five  miles  in  every 
direction,  make  a  landscape  im- 
possible of  adequate  description. 
The  vast  area  spread  out  before 
the  visitor's  eye  is  inhabited  by 
more  than  9,500,000  souls.  To 
the  north  lies  the  great  City,  with 
the  Hudson  River  and  the  lordly 
Highlands  beyond.  To  the  east, 
Long  Island  and  the  mighty 
Atlantic  Ocean,  with  its  ships 
passing  to  and  fro  far  distant  on 
the  horizon  where  sky  and  water 
seem  to  meet.  To  the  south, 
the  great  Harbor  of  New  York, 
the  Narrows  through  which  pass 
all  ships  entering  and  leaving  this 
Port,  Governor's  Island,  the 
Statue  of  Liberty,  and  Staten 


Island  in  the  distance.  To  the 
west  again  is  seen  the  Hudson 
River  and  the  great  expanse  of 
meadow-land  and  mountainous 
country  embracing  Eastern 
New  Jersey.  Looking  downward , 
the  multitudes  of  people  scurry- 
ing about  the  busy  streets  in 
close  proximity  to  the  Wool  worth 
Building  resemble  an  aggrega- 
tion of  pygmies — a  crowd  seen 
through  the  large  end  of  a  tele- 
scope. The  view  is  bewildering. 
Every  year  upwards  of  300,000 
visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
come  here  and  the  Guests'  Regis- 
ter shows  that  these  good  people 
represent  more  than  sixty  differ- 
ent countries  and  thousands  of 
cities. 


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The  wonders  of  the  Wool  worth 
Building  have  not  been  confined 
to  its  exterior,  for  within  will  be 
found  a  wealth  of  things 
intensely  interesting. 
F  i  r  s  t  among  these 
should  be  mentioned 
the  grand  arcade,  its 
tall,  perfect  lines  rising 
and  sweeping  into 
graceful  curves  and 
arches.  The  marble, 
with  its  warm,  golden, 
evenly  matched  colors 
of  varied  hues  forming 
the  arcade  walls,  was 
quarried  on  the  Isle  of 
Skyros  off  the  coast  of 
Greece,  from  the  choicest  mar- 
ble obtainable  there.  It  is  richly 
carved  in  pure  Gothic  design, 
blending  with  the  magnificently 
decorated  dome-ceiling,  which  is 
a  masterpiece  of  glass  mosaic. 
Its  rare  beauty  is  accentuated  by 
the  soft  glow  of  artificial  light 
concealed  behind  the  lacelike 
marble  cornice  at  the  springing  of 
the  arches.  It  suggests  a  flood  of 
dazzling  jewels  glittering  in  the 
sunlight — emeralds,  rubies,  sap- 
phires, diamonds — a  riot  of  har- 
monious colors,  all  spread  out  in 
golden  settings,  and  arranged  in 
exquisite  designs.  The  whole  ef- 
fect is  one  of  grandeur  with  which 
the  arcade  of  no  other  building  in 
the  world  may  be  compared.  It  is, 
indeed,  an  appropriate  entrance 
to  this  regal  structure,  "The  Ca- 
thedral of  Commerce." 

In  the  sub-basement  is  located 
the  power  plant  which  generates 


electricity  to  operate  the  ele- 
vators and  furnish  light  and  ven- 
tilation for  the  entire  Building. 

This  plant  is  complete 
in  its  make-up.  Its  four 
mighty  engines  and  dy- 
namos, operating  day 
and  night — never  idle 
—are  wondrous  pieces 
of  machinery,  and  con- 
sidered the  most  effi- 
cient known  to  engi- 
neering science.  The 
plant  has  a  total  capac- 
ity of  1,500  kilowatts, 
and  consists  of  two  500 
kilowratt  units,  one  300 
kilowatt  unit,  and  one 
200  kilowatt  unit.  These  units 
are  of  varying  size,  so  as  to  afford 
maximum  operating  efficiency, 
according  to  the  varying  elec- 
trical load  at  different  hours  of 
the  day.  The  engines  are  of  tan- 
dem-compound low-speed  Cor- 
liss type  moving  at  one  hundred 
revolutions  per  minute,  and  are 
capable  of  generating  sufficient 
power  to  operate  an  electric 
street  railway  or  supply  electric 
light  for  a  city  of  50,000  inhabit- 
ants. The  Engine  Room  itself  is 
especially  attractive  with  walls 
and  floor  of  white  tile  and  ceiling 
of  white  enamel,  always  spotless 
clean.  Here,  too,  will  be  found 
an  elaborate  ventilating  plant, 
designed  to  furnish  a  complete 
change  of  air  in  the  three  stories 
underground  and  the  first  four 
above  four  times  in  every  hour. 
The  air  is  drawn  down  from  out- 
side the  Building  above  the  sixth 
floor,  passed  through  fine  sieves 


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and  then  through  a  curtain  of 
constantly  running  filtered  water, 
where  it  is  cleansed  and  distrib- 
uted to  tenants  free  of  impurity. 
In  summer  months,  this  air  is 
cooled  by  refrigeration,  and  in 
winter  it  is  warmed  by  passing 
through  heated  pipes.  A  water 
filtration  plant  and  refrigerating 
plant  also  form  part  of  the  vast 
mechanical  equipment  required 
for  the  exacting  needs  of  the 
Building's  tenants. 

The  Boiler  Room  houses  six  gi- 
ant boilers  having  a  total  capacity 
of  2, 500  horse-power.  These  boil- 
ers are  operated  at  high  pressure 
and  except  during  a  few  weeks  of 
unusually  cold  weather  in  mid- 


winter the  entire  building  is 
heated  by  exhaust  steam  from 
the  engines  and  pumps.  Some 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  coal 
consumed  by  these  boilers  from 
the  fact  that  the  Building's 
coal  bunkers  contain  over  2,000 
tons  of  coal,  which  is  replaced  as 
used  by  cargo  shipments  direct 
from  the  anthracite  fields  of 
Pennsylvania.  An  immense 
Swimming  Pool  and  Turkish 
Bath,  open  day  and  night,  are 
also  located  in  the  sub-basement, 
where  will  be  found  every  modern 
device  making  for  comfort,  safety 
and  sanitation. 

The  fortress-like  vaults  of  the 
Irving  Safe  Deposit  Company 


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VIEW  FROM  THE  SOUTHWEST 


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GENERATORS  AND  MAIN 
SWITCHBOARD  IX 
THE  ENGINE  ROOM 


are  a  feature  of  the  basement, 
the  first  business  floor.  Upwards 
of  five  thousand  boxes,  many  of 
them  extra  size,  provide  safe- 
keeping for  the  important  docu- 
ments, securities  and  valuables  of 
almost  as  many  business  and  indi- 
vidual customers.  Another  inter- 
esting place  in  the  basement  is  the 
Restaurant — a  show-place  noted 
for  its  good  food  and  fine  service. 
There  is  also  a  finely  appointed 
Barber  Shop  in  the  basement. 


The  Irving  National  Bank, 
whose  resources  of  more  than 
$300,000,000  give  it  rank  among 
the  great  institutions  of  New 
York,  occupies  the  banking  floor, 
as  well  as  the  third,  fourth  and 
fifth  office  floors  of  the  building. 
The  grand  staircase  facing  the 
Broadway  en  trance  leads  directly 
to  the  Irving's  main  offices,  where 
the  problem  of  maintaining 
friendly  personal  relations  with 
many  thousands  of  depositors  has 


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been  solved  in  a  most  interesting 
way.  Instead  of  the  usual  sep- 
arate groups  of  paying  and  re- 
ceivingwindows,  every  teller  both 
pays  and  receives — a  system 
which  both  economizes  the  time 
of  customers  and  makes  for  their 
better  acquaintance  with  tellers. 
All  Irving  departments,  indeed, 
are  designed  and  arranged  with 
the  idea  of  facilitating  contact 
between  customers  and  officers 
and  making  the  latter  as  easy  of 
access  as  in  any  village  or  neigh- 
borhood bank. 

Perhaps  the  most  difficult 
problem  in  a  structure  as  tall  as 
the  Woolworth  Building  is  the 
elevator  service,  and  the  Build- 
ing's success  depends  very  largely 
upon  the  adequacy,  safety  and 
regularity  of  this  service.  The 
architectural  design  of  the  Build- 
ing, together  with  the  peculiari- 
ties of  its  structural  steelwork,  to 
a  great  extent,  govern  the  num- 
ber, arrangement  and  grouping 


of  the  elevators.  This  vital  fea- 
ture has  been  carefully  worked 
out,  with  the  result  that  twenty- 
nine  high-speed  electric  traction 
elevators  provide  excellent  serv- 
ice throughout  twenty-four  hours 
of  each  day,  every  day  in  the  year, 
Sundays  and  holidays  included. 
These  elevators  travel  on  a  head- 
way of  twenty-five  to  thirty-five 
seconds  during  business  hours, 
which  means  that  a  car  is  avail- 
able to  carry  passengers  up  or 
down  from  any  floor  about  every 
half-minute,  and  this  service  is 
faithfully  maintained.  In  order 
to  get  tenants,  their  employees 
and  clients  to  and  from  the  offices 
with  the  least  possible  delay, 
many  of  the  elevators  are  oper- 
ated at  a  speed  greater  than  that 
maintained  in  any  other  build- 
ing, yet  they  travel  so  smoothly 
and  noiselessly  that  their  move- 
ments are  scarcely  observed. 
The  two  elevators,  which  oper- 
ate from  the  ground  to  the  fifty- 
fourth  floor,  rise  700  feet  in  one 


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The  loftiest 
and  most 
bean  t  if ul 
building  in 
all  the  world 
dedicated  to 
commerce — 
seen  through 
the  gr  eat 
arch  of  the 
Municipal 
Building  in 
the  soft  glow 
of  early 
morning 
sunlight. 


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At  dusk,  its 
gigantic 
Tower, 
bathed  in 
electric  light 
of  many  gor- 
geous hues, 
rises  hi gh 
into  the 
heavens  like 
a  shaft  of 
fire  herald- 
ing the  ap- 
proach of 
night. 


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LOOKING   NORTH   FROM   THE  OBSERVATION'  GALLERY 


minute,  and  these  are  the  high- 
est-rise and  fastest-traveling  ele- 
vators in  the  world.  Although 
elevator  service  is  provided  in 
the  Eiffel  Tower,  Paris,  to  a 
height  of  nearly  1,000  feet,  three 
lifts  must  be  used  to  reach  the 
top,  the  highest  rise  of  a  single 
lift  being  about  450  feet. 

On  account  of  the  complex  ele- 
vator problem  and  the  high 
speed  at  which  service  is  main- 
tained, together  with  the  fact 
that  nearly  35,000  people  daily 
travel  upon  these  elevators  (more 
than  11,000,000  a  year),  partic- 
ular attention  is  given  to  the  mat- 
ter of  safety  devices.  The  more 
important  of  these  are  the  under- 
car  safety  operated  by  an  over- 


head governor;  oil  buffers  placed 
under  each  car;  retarding  and 
latching  device  at  the  top  of  each 
shaftway;  limit  switches  at  the 
top  and  bottom  of  travel ;  speed 
governor  and  potential  switches 
operated  by  governor;  switch 
attached  to  safety  plank  on  the 
under-car  safety;  emergency 
wheel  and  safety  switch  inside 
the  car  itself.  Besides  these,  the 
gearless  traction  elevator  has  the 
great  inherent  safety  feature  be- 
cause, if  either  the  car  or  counter- 
weight over-travels,  the  tractive 
force  is  lost,  owing  to  the  weight 
of  the  car  or  counterweight  being 
removed  from  the  hoisting  cables. 
There  are  also  many  electrical 
safety  devices  which  form  a  part 
of  the  controlling  equipment 


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LOOKING   SOUTH   FROM  THE  OBSERVATION  GALLERY 


safeguarding  the  operation  of 
these  elevators. 

Two  additional  features  of 
great  importance  among  the 
safety  devices  are  the  emergency 
exit  doors  and  the  interlocking 
device  on  the  shaftway  doors. 
The  emergency  exit  doors  are  so 
constructed  that,  in  the  event  of 
an  elevator  being  accidentally 
held  between  floors,  passengers 
may  be  transferred  to  an  adjoin- 
ing elevator  and  carried  safely  to 
their  destination  without  delay 
or  confusion.  The  interlocking 
device  on  the  shaftway  doors 
effectively  overcomes  one  of  the 
common  causes  of  elevator  acci- 
dents, namely,  those  which  occur 
as  passengers  enter  or  alight 


from  elevators.  These  accidents 
may  usually  be  charged  to  the 
carelessness  of  the  operator  in 
opening  the  shaftway  door  be- 
fore the  elevator  reaches  a  full 
stop  or  starting  the  elevator  be- 
fore the  door  is  fully  closed.  In 
this  Building,  elevators  cannot 
be  so  operated  because  the  inter- 
locking device  absolutely  pre- 
vents an  elevator  from  moving 
until  the  shaftway  doors  are  fully 
closed. 

Besides  the  regular  safety  de- 
vices enumerated  above,  Mr. 
Woolworth  ordered  air  cushions 
for  all  elevators.  These  consist 
of  a  heavy  steel  structure  enclos- 
ing each  elevator  shaf  t  separately 
with  reinforced  concrete  placed 


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LOOKING  WEST   FROM   TIIK  OBSERVATION  GALLERY 


between  I  beams.  In  addition, 
the  interior  of  the  shafts  is  lined 
with  heavy  steel  plates,  and  as  a 
car  enters  the  air-cushion  zone 
and  approaches  the  bottom  of 
travel  the  air  pressure  beneath 
increases.  Therefore,  if  all 
safety  devices  failed  to  operate 
and  the  car  dropped,  the  air 
would  be  so  rapidly  compressed 
that  it  would  not  have  time  to 
escape  through  the  automatic 
valves  or  through  the  clearance 
space  around  the  elevator ;  hence, 
the  speed  of  the  latter  would  be 
retarded  and  it  would  be  brought 
gradually  to  rest  at  the  base  of 
its  shaft  without  injury  or 
shock  to  passengers  within.  To 
determine  the  utility  of  the  air 
cushions,  a  test  was  made  by 
loading  an  elevator  with  7,000 
pounds  of  material  and  dropping 


it  from  the  forty-fifth  floor  with 
all  safety  devices  and  cables  re- 
moved. When  this  elevator 
reached  bottom,  its  load  was  un- 
harmed; the  vibration  being  so 
slight  that  even  a  glass  of  water, 
which  it  carried,  remained  intact. 

Many  daily  inspections  are 
made  by  the  Building's  main- 
tenance force,  not  only  of  this  ap- 
paratus but  of  everything  else  af- 
fecting the  safety,  comfort  and 
welfare  of  tenants  and  the  gen- 
eral public.  To  show  the  extreme 
caution  of  these  inspectors,  a  re- 
markable test  was  made  in  the 
plant  of  John  A.  Roebling's  Sons 
Co.  with  a  set  of  six  hoisting 
cablescondemnedand  taken  from 
an  elevator  after  three  years  of 
active  service.  The  one  most 
worn  of  these  cables  was  placed 


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LOOKING  EAST  FROM   THE  OBSERVATION  GALLERY 


upon  a  powerful  testing  machine 
to  determine  the  weight  it  would 
sustain  before  pulling  apart.  It 
broke  only  after  assuming  a 
burden  of  16,600  pounds;  hence 
the  total  carrying  strength  of  the 
six  condemned  cables  was  at 
least  99,600  pounds.  As  the 
maximum  weight  of  an  elevator 
and  its  passengers  is  about  6,000 
pounds,  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
cables  were,  by  actual  test,  still 
strong  enough  to  safely  handle 
sixteen  times  the  maximum 
weight  of  a  loaded  elevator. 

"Safety  first"  and  always  is 
the  watchword  in  the  operation 
of  this  vertical  railway  system. 
While  the  cars  travel  at  great 
speed,  the  maintenance  is  so 
closely  watched  and  cared  for 
that  they  move  along  almost  un- 


noticed— no  quivering,  no  vibra- 
tion, no  sound  whatever,  abso- 
lute smoothness  and  safety. 

Because  of  the  arrangement  of 
the  elevators,  the  severe  service 
to  which  they  are  subjected,  and 
the  variations  in  the  height  of 
travel,  it  was  necessary  to  pro- 
vide special  means  of  controlling 
the  operators  and  the  movement 
of  the  elevators  themselves.  A 
Dispatcher  System  was  therefore 
devised  and  used  in  this  Building 
for  the  first  time.  This  system 
consists  of  a  dispatch  board  and 
a  signal  board  with  electric  flash- 
lights indicating  the  movement 
and  location  of  every  elevator. 
The  dispatcher  absolutely  con- 
trols the  elevators  and  is  pre- 
pared, by  means  of  telephonic 
communication,  to  pass  instruc- 


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tions  to  the  operators  when  nec- 
essary, regardless  of  whether  the 
elevators  are  in  motion  or  at  rest, 
so  as  to  correct  immediately  any 
irregularities  in  the  service. 

Although  the  Building  is  fire- 
proof throughout,  in  so  far  as 
engineering  masters  have  been 
able  to  make  it,  and  the  possi- 
bility of  fire  occurring  within  its 
walls  is  extremely  remote,  never- 
theless, every  mechanical  device 
has  been  provided  to  safeguard 
the  lives  and  property  of  tenants 
should  the  "impossible"  occur. 
A  fire  could  not  spread  beyond 
the  office  in  which  it  broke  out 
because  the  walls  are  of  stone  or 
steel,  the  doors,  trim,  etc.,  also 
of  steel,  and  the  glass  of  heavy 
plate,  wired.  In  fact,  no  inflam- 
mable material  of  any  descrip- 
tion was  used  in  the  construction 
of  this  Building.  Every  stairway 
is  an  enclosed  fire -tower,  and 
every  elevator  shaft  is  free  from 
outside  influences  such  as  smoke, 
fire,  heat  and  gases. 

A  gigantic  fire-pump  forms 
part  of  the  Building's  thoroughly 
complete  fire-fightingequipment. 
This  pump,  located  in  the  sub- 
basement,  is  capable  of  deliver- 
ing 500  gallons  of  water  per 
minute  at  the  fifty-eighth  story 
against  a  head  pressure  of  820 
feet,  and,  on  account  of  the  pro- 
tection which  it  affords  neighbor- 
ing property,  owners  have,  in 
many  cases,  been  able  to  secure 
reductions  in  their  fire  insurance 
premiums. 


In  most  buildings  the  inside 
or  court  offices  are  usually  quite 
dark  and  undesirable  on  account 
of  the  narrowness  of  the  open- 
ings and  the  height  and  dingy 
character  of  their  walls.  Not  so 
in  the  Wool  worth  Building.  It 
has  a  great,  wide  court — nearly 
the  width  of  an  average  city 
street,  and,  as  the  walls  are  of 
glazed  white  tile,  much  natural 
light  is  reflected  into  the  court 
offices,  making  them  practically 
as  choice  as  those  facing  upon 
the  streets.  All  offices  in  the 
Building,  without  exception,  are 
especially  wide,  light,  and  well 
ventilated,  and  their  appoint- 
ments are  of  the  very  best. 

For  the  convenience  of  tenants, 
a  completely  equipped  Hospital 
Room  has  been  established  for 
female  stenographers,  clerks,  and 
others,  where  they  may  receive 
first-aid  treatment  at  the  hands 
of  a  competent  nurse  or  rest 
quietly  from  the  mental  or  phys- 
ical strain  attendant  upon  the 
day's  work.  Quick  relief  is  thus 
afforded  and  sometimes  serious 
illness  prevented.  Should  any 
case  be  so  serious  as  to  require  the 
attendance  of  a  physician,  one 
may  be  had  within  a  few  minutes. 
This  room  is  maintained  as  part 
of  the  Building's  general  service 
for  which  no  charge  is  made. 

The  public  corridors  through- 
out are  spacious  and  well  lighted 
and  ventilated.  Their  floors  are 
of  polished  marble  terrazo  and 
they  have  wainscot  of  selected 


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BOILER  ROOM 


Italian  marble  carried  half-way 
up  to  the  ceiling.  Directories  on 
every  floor  below  the  Tower  en- 
able one  to  locate  his  destination 
quickly  upon  alighting  from  the 
elevators.  The  toilet  facilities  are 
unique  as  regards  the  number 
of  rooms  assigned  for  that  pur- 
pose and  the  elegance  of  their 
appointments.  A  toilet  room  for 
ladies  and  one  for  gentlemen  will 
be  found  conveniently  located 
on  practically  every  floor  of  the 
Building.  The  walls  of  these 
rooms  are  lined  with  white  carrara 
glass,  the  costliest,  most  sanitary, 
and  most  attractive  wall  decora- 
tion known  for  this  purpose.  The 
ceilings  are  of  white  enamel,  and 
the  floors  of  white  flint  tile.  The 
fixtures,  too,  are  the  last  word  in 
modern  design  and  construction, 


and,  as  a  whole,  these  rooms  are 
all  that  the  word  "sanitary" 
implies. 

More  than  150,000  pieces  of 
mail  are  delivered  to  tenants  of 
the  Wool  worth  Building  every 
business  day,  and  a  dozen  letter- 
carriers  are  required  for  this  serv- 
ice. The  tenants'  outgoing  mail 
matter  is  fully  as  voluminous 
and  requires  an  additional  force 
of  handlers  to  convey  it  to  the 
General  Post  Office.  Four  huge 
letterboxes  are  placed  in  the 
main  corridor, from  which  twenty- 
seven  collections  are  made  every 
twenty-four  hours  on  week  days. 
For  the  convenience  of  tenants, 
four  mail  chutes,  connected  with 
the  mail  boxes  mentioned,  serve 
every  floor  of  the  Building. 


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THE  EMPIRE  ROOM  —  EXECUTIVE  OFFICE  OF  THE  PRESIDENT  OF 
F.  W.  WOOLWORTH  COMPANY 


Twenty-eight  hundred  tele- 
phones are  in  service  throughout 
the  Building,  a  greater  number 
than  is  used  in  a  city  of  45,000 
inhabitants.  The  average  daily 
traffic  is  38,000  calls,  totaling 
11,400,000  messages  per  year. 

Frequently  visitors  to  the  Ob- 
servation Gallery  and  others  ask 
interesting  questions  with  regard 
to  the  means  which  have  been 
devised  to  make  a  building  of 
this  height  entirely  safe  in  the 
face  of  the  elements.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  general  information  it  may 
be  said  that,  regardless  of  its  su- 
preme height,  the  structure  is 
quite  as  safe  as  the  Rock  of  Gi- 
braltar, and  the  following  facts 


will  probably  be  of  interest  to 
those  who  read  them:  The  foun- 
dations for  all  columns  are  car- 
ried down  to  solid  bed  rock  by 
means  of  concrete  piers  sunk  by 
the  pneumatic  caisson  process, 
which  consists  of  sinking  metal 
tubes  of  the  size  required  for  the 
finished  piers.  Some  of  these  are 
19  feet  in  diameter.  In  sinking 
these  metal  tubes  water  was  en- 
countered and  the  pneumatic 
process  had  to  be  resorted  to, 
consisting  of  closing  up  the  upper 
ends  of  the  tubes  by  a  system  of 
air  locks.  The  interiors  were  then 
filled  with  air  under  pressure, 
equivalent  to  the  water  pressure 
outside,  and  this  prevented  the 
water  from  entering  at  the  bot- 


: 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 


THE  FLEMISH  ROOM  — ON  THE  FORTIETH  FLOOR  SHOWING  FLEMISH  RENAISSANCE 
TAPESTRY  (WOVEN  ABOUT  1650)  AND  ITALIAN  RENAISSANCE 
MANTELPIECE  CARVED  IN  STONE 


torn.  The  workmen  thereby  ob- 
tained access  to  the  exterior  so  as 
to  excavate  and  remove  the  soil. 
Upon  reaching  the  solid  rock  the 
tube  was  gradually  filled  with 
concrete,  the  top  removed  and 
the  fillingcompleted,  thusleaving 
solid  concrete  piers  for  the  steel 
columns  of  the  Building  to  rest 
upon. 

The  caissons  under  this  Build- 
ing average  no  feet  in  depth  be- 
low the  sidewalk,  and  there  are 
69  of  these  with  a  combined  length 
of  approximately  5,000  feet,  all 
carried  down  to  bed  rock.  The 
total  load  on  the  rock  at  the  cais- 
son base  was  estimated  to  be 
24  tons  per  square  foot.  There 


is  no  possibility  of  the  Building 
rocking  in  the  slightest  degree, 
because  the  dead  load  on  any  of 
the  columns  is  greater  than  the 
maximum  uplift  due  to  wind 
pressure  on  the  Building.  The 
Building's  weight  above  the  cais- 
sons is  estimated  to  be  223,000 
tons,  including  allowance  for 
wind  pressure. 

The  wind  pressure  was  care- 
fully studied,  and  it  may  be 
safely  stated  that  a  hurricane, 
blowing  at  200  miles  per  hour, 
would  not  damage  the  frame- 
work of  this  Building  in  any  way. 
Winds  of  such  velocity  are,  of 
course,  unknown.  At  the  very 
top,  w7here  scientific  observations 


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have  been  made,  no  vibration 
whatever  was  detected.  The 
Tower  is  braced  to  take  care  of 
wind  strains  by  a  system  of  portal 
braces  like  those  used  at  the  ends 
of  bridges.  These  occur  in  all 
stories,  so  that  wind  blowing  at 
any  floor  level  is  transmitted 
through  the  braces  below  suc- 
cessively until 
it  reaches  the 
foundation. 
This  form  of 
bracing  is  un- 
usual in  build- 
ing construc- 
tion, but  it 
was  consid- 
ered by  far  the 
best  solution 
of  the  difficult 
engineering 
problem  i  n 
hand. 

The  copper 
roofs  on  the 

Tower  and  on  the  main  building 
are  connected  by  means  of  cop- 
per cables  with  the  Building's 
structural  steelwork.  This 
grounds  the  structure  and  pro- 
duces a  result  similar  to  the  or- 
dinary lightning  conductor.  The 
Building  is,  therefore,  safe  even 
during  severe  lightning  storms. 

No  description  of  the  Wool- 
worth  Building  is  complete  with- 
out a  word  concerning  that  vi- 
tally important  feature  called 
service,  a  feature,  perhaps, 
more  important  than  all  others 
to  the  tenants.    Every  possible 


need  of  the  tenants  is  antici- 
pated and  cared  for  promptly, 
courteously  and  efficiently.  The 
smooth-running  organization, 
planned  as  it  has  been  along  de- 
partmental lines,  as  in  a  great 
railway  system,  has  for  example, 
its  Fire,  Police,  Cleaning,  Repair 
and  Maintenance  Departments, 
on  duty  night 
and  day,  al- 
ways, each 
working  with 
rigid  alertness 
and  fidelity. 
The  Building 
contains  near- 
ly 30  acres  of 
floor  space, 
yet  this  vast 
area  is  cleaned 
—  yes,  and 
thoroughly — 
every  single 
day,  but  not 
during  busi- 
ness hours 
when  such  work  would  disturb 
the  tenants.  The  5,000  or  more 
windows  throughout  the  Build- 
ing are  cleaned  once  a  week  and 
more  often  when  storms  make  it 
necessary.  The  work  of  the  Night 
Watchmen,  who  make  hourly 
patrols  of  the  Building,  and  of 
the  Police  and  Detective  Forces, 
is  especially  important  to  ten- 
ants, because  they  are  sure  of 
the  absolute  security  of  their 
property  during  closed  hours  and 
because  it  prevents  interruption 
and  annoyance  during  business 
hours,  of  a  kind  commonly  ex- 
perienced in  some  office  buildings. 


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Substantially 
all  the  repair 
work — and  this 
is  a  vast  item — 
is  executed  by 
the  Building's 
mechanical 
forces,  which  in- 
clude,  among 
others,  the  Elec- 
trical, Plumb- 
ing, Heating  and 
Elevator  Main- 
tenance Depart- 
ments, all  oper- 
ating coord  i- 
nately  and  under 
well-trained 
heads.  Even 
the  tools  re- 
quired to  per- 
form special 
classes  of  work 
are  made  by  the 
house  mechan- 
ics,  and  the 
Building  may  be 
said  to  be  self- 
contained.  Ab- 
solute coopera- 
tion exists 
among  all  de- 
partments, and, 
to  a  man,  the  300 
odd  employees 
know  how  to 
serve.  They  go 
about  their  work 
determined  to 
satisfy  and 
please  every  ten- 
ant  from  the 
largest  to  the 
smallest  uni- 


Broadway  Park  Place  Co. 

NEW  YORK.  N.  Y. 
F.  W.  WOOI  WORTH.  Pre.«J«nI 

AWARDED  FOR  BEING 

Highest  and  finest 
Office  Building  in  the  World 


OFFICIAL 

AWA  R 
RIBBO 


FRES1DEHT0FTHE  SUPERIOR  JilRY7 


DIRECTORS 


SECT*  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL 
AWARD  SYSTEM 

MEDAL 
HONOR 

OEPARTMENTOF 

LIBERAL  ARTS 


formly,  know- 
ing, as  they  do, 
that  upon  that 
altogether  the 
success  of  the 
great  institution 
depends 

The  Wool- 
worth  Building 
has  been  called 
"The  Cathedral 
of  Commerce' ' 
— a  monument 
to  small  things, 
yet  it  is  even 
more — it  is  the 
colossal  and  en- 
during  gift  to 
civilization  of  a 
true-born,  patri- 
otic American, 
Frank  \Y.  Wool- 
worth,  and  it 
stands  unique  in 
the  history  of 
great  buildings 
throughout  the 
world  in  that  it 
is  without  a 
mortgage  or 
dollar  of  indebt- 
e  d  n  e  s  s.  Mr. 
Woolworth  paid 
for  this  gigantic 
structure  from 
start  to  finish 
from  his  own  re- 
sources, accu- 
mulated through 
his  business  sa- 
gacity in  estab- 
lishing an  en- 
tirely new  line  of 


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EMERGENCY  ROOM  FOR  TENANTS  AND  VISITORS 


merchandising  through  retail 
stores  handling  only  five  and  ten 
cent  goods.  This  enterprise  has 
developed  into  the  largest  retail 
business  in  existence  today. 

Thus  it  may  be  said  that  the 
name  Frank  W.  Woohvorth  has 
been  indelibly  inscribed  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of 
our  land  and  abroad,  and  the 
Woohvorth  Building,  symboliz- 
ing, as  it  truly  does,  the  crown- 
ing achievement  of  a  career  of 
usefulness  toward  mankind,  will 
long  herald  the  march  of  pro- 
gress down  through  the  corridors 
of  time. 


i 


FRANK  W.  WOOLWORTH 


1852  *  1919 


THE  visitors  to  the  Observation  Gallery 
of  the  Woolworth  Building,  and  others, 
who  read  the  story  of  "The  Cathedral  of  Com- 
merce," may  be  interested  in  a  brief  resume  of 
the  life  of  the  man  by  whom  this  Gothic 
monument  was  built. 

Frank  W.  Woolworth  was  descended  from 
Richard  Woolworth,  who  came  from  England 
about  1650  and 
settled  in  Massa- 
chusetts. He  was 
born  April  1  3, 
1852,  at  Rodman, 
Jefferson  County, 
N.Y.,  his  parents 
being  John  H.  and 
Fannie  (McBrier) 
Wool  worth.  When 
he  wa  sabout  seven 
years  of  age  the 
family  moved  to  a 
farm  at  Great 
Bend,  N.Y.  Here 
the  boy  worked  on 
the  farm  and  at- 
tended a  district 
school.  Later  he 
attended  a  Water- 
town  Commercial 
College,  from 
which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1872. 

Starting  as  a 
clerk  in  1873  in 
the  department 
store  of  Augsbury 

&  Moore  at  Watertown,  N.Y.,  at  $3.50  per 
week,  he  remained  with  that  firm  (which  be- 
came Moore  &  Smith)  until  the  early  part  of 
the  year  1879,  when  he  left  to  go  in  business 
for  himself. 

Mr.  Woolworth  was  married  in  1876  to 
Miss  Jennie  Creighton,  of  Watertown,  N.Y., 
and  had  three  daughters. 

The  first  store  (which  was  strictly  a  5-cent 
store)  was  opened  by  Mr.  Woolworth  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1879,  at  Utica,  N.Y.  This  store  was 
not  a  success.  The  second  store,  established 
at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  was  a  successful  venture. 
The  third  store,  opened  at  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
in  June,  1879,  was  not  successful,  while  the 
fourth,  started  at  Scranton,  Pa.,  was  a  success. 

Despite  the  failure  of  later  ventures  at 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Newark,  N.J.,  and  Elmira, 


N.Y.,  he  persisted  in  the  establishment  of  a 
chain  of  5-  and  io-cent  stores. 

In  1886,  Mr.  Woolworth  opened  a  small 
office  in  New  York  City,  at  104  Chambers 
Street,  and  made  this  his  headquarters. 

In  1905,  he  owned  and  operated  about  300 
stores  when  he  incorporated  his  business  for 
$10,000,000,  under  the  name  of  F.  W.  Wool- 
worth  &  Com- 
pany. This  com- 
pany was  reor- 
ganized in  19 1 2  as 
the  F.  W.  Wool- 
worth  Company, 
with  a  capital  of 
$65,000,000,  and 
absorbed  the  busi- 
ness of  S.  H.  Knox 
&Co.,F.M.Kirby 
&  Co.,  E.P.Charl- 
ton &  Co.,  C.  S. 
Woolworth  and 
W.H.Moore,  with 
a  total  of  600 
stores. 

At  the  date  of  the 
death  of  the  late 
Frank  W.  Wool- 
worth,  the  Com- 
pany owned  and 
operated  over  one 
thousand  stores 
and  doing  a  total 
annual  business  of 
approximately 
$120,000,000. 
Mr.  Woolworth  died  April  8,   19 19,  at 
his  country  home  at  Glen  Cove,  L.I.  His 
New  York  City  residence  was  at  990  Fifth 
Avenue. 

In  19 14,  in  memory  of  his  father  and  mother, 
he  built  and  endowed  the  Woolworth  Memo- 
rial Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Great 
Bend,  N.Y.  His  contributions  to  charitable 
causes  were  large. 

Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  Mr.  Woolworth 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
many  banks  and  commercial  corporations. 
He  was  a  member  of  numerous  associations 
and  clubs,  including  among  others,  the  New 
York  Chamber  ot  Commerce,  the  Merchants' 
Association  of  New  York,  the  Union  League 
Club,  the  Lotos  Club,  the  Hardware  Club,  and 
the  Automobile  Club  of  America. 


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